Thursday, April 8, 2010

Lee Ranaldo - Maelstrom From Drift (2008)

Lee Ranaldo's "Maelstrom From Drift" provides an excellent snapshot of his entire solo career, collecting tracks recorded over the span of a decade plus and with numerous different sorts of collaborators.From the album's start with a track from Ranaldo's Glacial project with David Watson (bagpipes) and Tony Buck (drums) to it's conclusion with the multi-layered guitar din of the title track, "Maelstrom From Drift" is a highly focused work providing the listener with numerous different aural styles, each ready to engage and challenge the listener.Lee Ranaldo proved himself long ago a musician comfortable in any number of settings, but on the unpredictable procession of these nine tracks, it’s the more focused music that finds him at his best.